"I will check up on her," the senior maid announced, moving towards the bathroom, but she halted when a knock interrupted her.
Knock, knock.
Sighing, she signaled a junior maid to open the door.
"Alpha King!" The maid exclaimed, shocked to see the man who had isolated himself for years standing at the door of a woman's room. He hadn't visited the consorts quarters since the tragic accident, making his presence here even more surprising.
"Is she in?" He asked, referring to Tessa, without sparing the maid a glance.
Unsure how to respond, the maid hummed and looked to the senior maid for help.
Sensing something was wrong, Elias pushed past the maid and entered the room. He scanned the area, and when he was unable to find her, his wolf groaned in frustration.
'We have lost her,' Elias's wolf, Eli, said, almost taking control.
'Stay calm, she's probably nearby,' Elias assured, preventing Eli from taking over. Moving toward the window, he sniffed the air for her scent but could not detect anything in the air.
"Where is she?!" He demanded, raising his voice and causing the maids to flinch.
"In the bathroom. She has refused to—" the senior maid began, but Elias walked into the bathroom before she could finish.
"Are we dead?" The maids whined, fearing the consequences if Tessa was found dead or gone due to their negligence.
Entering the bathroom, Elias's senses heightened as he detected her scent. It was intoxicating, confirming she was his mate once again. He looked around and couldn't find her so he approached the bathtub, dipped his hand into the water, and pulled her up.
"No!" Tessa cried in shock, not expecting to be pulled out by an unseen force. She wiped the water from her face, coughing to remove the water from her mouth.
Seeing Elias, she screamed and sank back into the tub to cover her nakedness.
"Get out of here, you pervert!" She yelled, splashing water at him. How dare he invade her privacy? And why was he staring at her blatantly, couldn't he read the situation?
Embarrassed, she continued splashing water and cursing at him.
"Stop!" He commanded, but Tessa ignored him, continuing her tirade.
"You pretend not to care, and now you violate me!" She shouted, refusing to relent until Elias finally left the bathroom. Once he left, she screamed and dipped her head into the water to vent.
Now in her room, he glanced back at the bathroom one last time before leaving without a word. He regretted following his mother's order to come, he should have waited until 6 pm for the mating ceremony, which was just a few hours away.
He wanted to discuss the mating plans with her in case she had no idea how it would happen. Also, he wanted to assure her that the mating mark's pain was only temporary, and he could pretend to bite her to avoid invoking the pain from the former bite.
He couldn't believe he was even planning on asking about the injury, he should have just left her alone. She was tough, she didn't need comfort.
"Why are you back so soon?" Veronica, who stood waiting for Elias in front of his study, asked, shocked to see him there.
"She chased me out," he answered and moved to open the door.
"She…" Noticing the stains of water on Elias's shirt, Veronica stopped talking and started laughing, which made Elias frown. What was funny about how he looked? Tessa just disrespected him and his mother found it amusing? Where were the morals and honors his mother always clamored about?
"I would like to rest now." Excusing himself, he relayed.
"O..h, su…re. Please do your majesty," while still laughing, Veronica responded and tried forcing herself to stop but she couldn't help it.
Seeing Elias like that because of a woman somehow made her happy even when she shouldn't be. After his wife's death, no woman had been able to capture his attention, talk more of getting too close to him to splash water on him.
She didn't even want to know what transpired between them, she was satisfied with how he came back. There was progress, that was all that mattered.
Shaking his head at his mother clowning, he went into his study room and shut it after him.
"That ignorant boy, I am so happy for you son." Staring at the door he just slammed, Veronica commented and also left him to rest.
Going to pick up a book to read, Elias got distracted when he came across a book with a woman's naked picture on the cover. Remembering Tessa, he frowned and randomly picked another book to read.
He was so focused on her well-being that he hadn't even found time to gaze at her naked body. If only she knew he wasn't interested in her as a woman, he only accepted her because they were mates.
She quickly assumed things and didn't give him a chance to explain before accusing him of being a pervert.
"A pervert?!" Scoffing, he repeated, finding it rude that she would call him that. Why was he only just reminiscing all she said?
It was understandable that a modest maiden would freak out if she was seen naked by any man, but she didn't have to call him names. Judging from her reaction, Elias wondered if she was still a virgin.
'She is unless she is using a concealer. Her blood is so fresh Elias, I felt it.' Eli said, interrupting Elias's thoughts again.
'I don't care.'